Method of managing swimming pool activities

ABSTRACT

A method of managing the activities of adolescents attending a swimming pool facility consisting of identifying nonswimmer adolescents attending the facility, requiring such adolescents to take and pass a swimming test, issuing attire signifying passing such test, requiring such adolescents to wear such attire when entering the pool and barring adolescents failing to wear such attire from entering the pool unless accompanied by an adult guardian.

This invention relates to the management of swimming pool activities and more particularly to a method of managing the activities of adolescents attending swimming pool facilities, and promoting the safety of such adolescents.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, swimming pools facilities are attended by adults, adolescents accompanied by adults and often by adolescents unaccompanied by an adult. When such facilities become greatly populated such as on particularly warm summer days, weekend days and holidays, it becomes increasingly difficult for facility personnel, usually the lifeguards, to effectively monitor the activities of all attendees which could result in an incident of serious injury of a pool attendee. The prospects of such an incident are particularly prevalent with adolescents unaccompanied by an adult, usually a parent, who may lack the ability to swim or otherwise care for themselves. With the presence of a great many attendees, increased pool activities and crowded conditions, the attention of lifeguards may be distracted, resulting in the failure of a guard to detect an adolescent in a precarious situation in the pool, and provide assistance which in direr circumstances may involve life saving. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a method of managing a swimming pool facility, and more particularly the activities of adolescents, in which incidents of harm or injury to attending adolescents will be diminished if not totally averted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal object of the present invention is achieved by providing a method of managing the activities of adolescents attending a swimming pool facility in an effort to promote the safety of such persons, generally consisting of identifying attending adolescents unqualified in protecting themselves from harm or injury in the swimming pool, usually by being unable to swim, requiring such identified adolescents to take and pass a swimming test as a condition for using the swimming pool facilities without being accompanied by a guardian, usually a parent or another adult, issuing a selected form of attire to be worn by adolescents having taken and passed such swimming test, requiring such adolescents issued such attire to wear the same when attending the swimming pool facility, and barring adolescents from the use of the swimming pool for failure to either wear such signifying attire unless attended by an adult guardian.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the method comprising the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated a block diagram indicating the several steps involved in the method of the invention. Initially, in step one, the management of the pool facility responsible to the owner of the pool facility which may be a commercial entity or a nonprofit organization, establishes as a rule of membership of the facility that all children and guests of members under a certain age may not use the swimming pool of the facility unless either taking and passing a certain swimming test conducted by personnel of the facility or accompanied by an adult guardian. In step two, non-swimmer adolescents either attending or planning to attend the pool facility are identified either by parents of such adolescents or pool personnel. Members of the facility may be notified of such facility requirement either in published rules or other communications to the membership. In step three, such identified non-swimming adolescents are offered swimming lessons by the pool facility. If such offer is refused, such identified non-swimmer adolescents are denied entry into the swimming pool of the facility unless accompanied by an adult guardian. If such offer of swimming lessons is accepted, then, in the next step, such lessons are provided to the identified non-swimmer adolescents who are tested upon completion of the lessons. Those adolescents failing the swimming test also would be denied entry into the swimming pool of the facility unless accompanied by an adult guardian.

If an identified non-swimmer adolescent passes the swimming test, in step five such successful adolescent is provided with some form of attire that can be worn by the adolescent while attending the pool facility to indicate to pool personnel that such adolescent is a qualified adolescent, not requiring such adolescent to be accompanied at the pool facility with an adult guardian. Such attire may be of any form which may be worn by the qualified adolescent, will not interfere with the activities and particularly the swimming of the adolescent and can be readily viewed by pool personnel. Preferably, such attire consists of a simple band with certain indicia that can be worn on a wrist, arm, leg or ankle of the adolescent. Most convenient would be a simple elastomeric band worn on the wrist having an identifiable indicia placed thereon.

In step six, each of the qualified adolescents would be required to wear the identification attire at all times while attending the pool facility. In step seven, pool personnel would monitor adolescents attending the pool facility to determine whether all adolescents below the prescribed age are either wearing identification attire indicating their swimming capabilities or are accompanied by an adult guardian. If any adolescent is identified as either a qualified swimmer or an unqualified swimmer accompanied by an adult guardian, then such adolescent would be barred from the use of the pool by pool personnel, usually the life guards. As previously indicated, the facility rule requiring adolescents under a certain age either to be qualified swimmers or accompanied by an adult guardian in order to use the swimming pool, may be promulgated by various means usually employed by swimming pool facilities. Members and particularly new members may be provided with a set of membership rules upon becoming members, newsletters announcing such a program may be sent to the membership, signs displaying the rules may be posted at the facility and such requirement further may be promulgated by other means including the internet and the like. The age under which an adolescent attendee is required to qualify as an adequate swimmer may be set either by the pool owner, the membership or pool management personnel on the basis of sound judgment. The particular swimming test to be administered and the passing criteria of such test also may be established by the facility owner, the membership or the pool manager. An example of the test to be administered would be the ability to swim a particular length of the swimming pool and possibly to tread water for a certain period of time. The attire to be worn by the qualifying adolescents also may be selected by the pool owner, the membership or management and should be simple yet distinguishable so that it may not be readily produced and used by unqualified adolescents attending the pool facility. Records of qualified adolescents may be maintained by pool personnel to verify the qualifications of successful adolescents attending the pool facility without the required attire required to be worn to indicate qualification. Lost attire may be replaced by the pool management, perhaps at a nominal or no cost.

The method as described particularly is effective in identifying and attending to a nonqualified adolescent who perhaps was brought and left at the pool by a parent or other adult person. Such nonqualified and unaccompanied adolescent presents a potential problem which if undetected can lead to serious harm or injury. Requiring such an adolescent either to become a qualified swimmer or refrain from entering the pool is not only reasonable but in the best interest of such child in terms of his or her safety and the safety of others.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the present invention, which come within the province of those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the aforementioned invention pertains. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by the appended claims. 

1. A method of managing the activities of adolescents attending a swimming pool facility to promote the safety thereof, comprising: identifying nonswimmer adolescents attending said facility; requiring said nonswimmer adolescents to take and pass a swimming test in order to enter the pool of said facility unattended by a guardian; issuing attire signifying passing said test; requiring adolescents issued said attire to wear the same when entering said pool; and barring adolescents failing to wear said attire from entry into said pool unless attended by an adult guardian.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said test requires said adolescent to swim a certain distance.
 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein said distance comprises a length of said pool.
 4. A method according to claim 2 wherein said test further requires said adolescent to tread water for a selected period of time.
 5. A method according to claim 1 wherein said attire comprises one of a group consisting of a head band, necklace, bracelet and anklet.
 6. A method according to claim 1 including monitoring adolescents attending said facility to assure that said adolescents are either wearing said attire or are accompanied by an adult guardian when entering said pool.
 7. A method according to claim 1 including maintaining a record of adolescents passing said test.
 8. A method according to claim 5 wherein said attire is formed of an elastic material.
 9. A method according to claim 1 including monitoring adolescents wearing said attire to ascertain whether said adolescents, deemed not to have properly passed said test, and retesting said adolescents.
 10. A method according to claim 1 wherein said testing is conducted by pool facility personnel. 